For home growers

New and exciting things are always happening in fruit production research and outreach at the University of Minnesota. Whether it is trialing new apple rootstocks, developing season extension strategies for strawberries, or determining rooting potential of cuttings from plum, apricot and cherry; we’re constantly looking for answers to questions that will help commercial producers and home gardeners grow high quality fruit using sustainable and environmentally responsible methods.

Researchers and Extension educators from the University of Minnesota and several other universities have assembled research-based apple production information on www.extension.org/apples. The information will help growers select rootstocks and cultivars, locate tree nurseries, plan and manage a planting, identify and manage diseases and pests. Home growers and consumers will find information to help them successfully grow apples and enjoy the right fruit at the right time. Additional resources are in the works, including a detailed cultivar database, interactive features, self-guided courses and more content for consumers. This core team was funded by the 2010 USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI).

University of Minnesota researchers are at the forefront of the latest marker assisted breeding (MAB) research in Rosaceae crops. Funded by the 2009 USDA NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI), RosBREED is creating a national, dynamic, sustained effort in research, infrastructure establishment, training, and extension for applying marker-assisted breeding to deliver improved plant materials more efficiently and rapidly.